Dry Toast and Cider in Owl Wood

Dry toast, warm cider, a song, and a jolly good beating with a stick were on the menu last night. 

For the apple trees.

Tradition dictates that the oldest apple tree should be wassailed on 6th January, to ensure a good crop in the following autumn.      We wassailed five of our apple trees - the oldest one, two young apple trees in another part of the garden, both young and not doing especially well, plus two newly discovered apple trees in Owl Wood. 

They are about 40 years old, but had been completely overtaken by all the other trees, so much so that they barely got any light, yet somehow they managed to survive, they just didn't look like apple trees, and nor did they bear enough fruit to be noticed. 

The year before last we had to have some trees, which had become unsafe, taken down.        It seemed drastic action at the time, but the positive impact on Owl Wood has been wonderful.

Access to the sunlight and energy, for the first time in many years,  gave these two apple trees and several others, the chance to produce some very nice fruit.         I decided they both merited a bit of extra help after all their years of struggle.

At the last moment we decided to include a crab apple tree which has endured a similar struggle ...so that made six!

Stretching a point, perhaps?

I felt sorry for them all!      They were all given a piece of soaked toast, a hefty sprinkling of warm cider, a bit of a beating with a stick, and were then serenaded with the wassail song.    I hope they enjoyed it.

The neighbours think we are barking mad, and so we are!

The garage is really coming on now, the back of the roof has been completed, so has the front.






It has been a bit of a slog, but it is getting there.  Whether or not our daughter and son-in-law ever actually park their cars inside is another matter!

I have noticed that they keep calling it a barn, rather than a garage...

Three bays, two for them, one for us, plus a log store on either side. 

The local schools went back today, so childcare duties have begun again. 


Here is our oldest grandson waiting for the school bus.    He used to enjoy throwing/catching/juggling beanbags about while we waited.     It seems that he has caught the reading bug, at last!

His younger sister stuck with our game of catch the bean bag, enjoying the extra attention.

"Old apple tree, we wassail thee"

I made two slices of white toast, soaked it in cider then poured the remainder of the cider into my oldest jug.   There was no special significance in choosing my oldest jug, I just felt drawn to use it.    We donned hats, coats and Wellington boots and made our way out to the garden.

Unfortunately we lost three apple trees to disease last year leaving us with two Bramley apple trees.   Tradition dictates that one should wassail the oldest tree   In the end we decided to wassail both of them, just to be on the safe side.

Once the slice of cider-soaked toast had been  placed in the branches, Max steadily poured the cider around the tree as we marched around it singing:

"Old apple tree, we wassail thee
And hoping thou wilt bear
For the Lord doth know where we shall be
Till apples come another year.
For to bear well, and to bear well
So merry let us be.
Let every man take off his hat
And shout to the old apple tree
Old apple tree, we wassail thee
And hoping thou wilt bear
Hatfuls, capfuls, three bushel bagfuls
And a little heap under the stairs
Hip! Hip! Horray!"


It was enormous fun, especially as we were joined by Merry, she thought it was a great way to delay her bath and bedtime.

Second time around we sang even more lustily.   We were really getting into our stride by then!  

It was great fun and it felt right.  

Respect for the apple tree which provides us with the fruit for so many apple pies and crumbles.